Maximum Ride: Apocalypse
by writeroses1029
Summary: Max needs to find the bigger picture. She has to save the world. But what exactly is that? And how can Max save the world if she can't save herself? Fax
1. Chapter 1

The Alpha

Angel's prophecy was right…

_Wind crept past us as we forced ourselves to move forward. You've got to keep going when you're fighting for your life. Our patterns were scattered throughout the sky in order to make aiming for us that much harder. How we managed to not hit ourselves flying is a mystery but it was mostly the adrenaline rushing and the super senses at work._

_I literally felt frost forming on the individual tips of my feathers. Chills were running through me fast but no way was I going to let the enemy hear my teeth chattering. I forced myself to think of roasting chestnuts on an open fire and all but that never really works. Angel was flying to my left a few degrees below. Iggy and Gazzy were criss-crossing overhead. Nudge was holding tight onto Total and was obviously using the techniques from the hawks to my right. Fang and I were switching as well, adjusting the altitude and such to keep the enemy off track._

_My breath was moving in and out, not exactly a comfortable objective when the air is freezing cold. "Max," Nudge called out. "I can't hold on to Total anymore!" I heard her struggling in the very tone of her voice. I swooped down and Nudge read my movements perfectly. Our enemies were trailing closely behind. _

_Total was whimpering like…like a dog. Nudge dropped him and I caught him, my muscles straining once his weight hit me. Note to self: Stop feeding Total bacon. "You are _so_ lucky you caught me." Total huffed. Normally, I'd let him fly but these new enemies, whoever they were, they were fast, and they were pro. But this is my flock here that they are racing. Sure, this new enemy was pro but we were frickin' gods compared to them._

_"Max," I heard Angel's voice fighting against the winds. Being on the chase in early December, it sucks. Especially in North America where it tends to snow a lot. "I can't go on much longer." Of course she couldn't, this was a race that even my wings were starting to shake in. I couldn't fly much longer, my oxygen seemed low in the cool air, my eyes were watering, and I'm pretty sure I had some strange form of frostbite. Isn't that why birds go south for the winter? _

_So here is where being a leader comes in. Either we keep flying, while dodging bullets (the amount of luck we've had of not being hit is astonishing) or we stop to fight these robots/men/eraser creatures with guns. Neither situations were good but my pounding, dying heart was determined to get everyone out of this alive. We were traveling in open areas, the kind where future developments were going to be built. If there were forests around, we could've lost them._

_"Max," I heard Angel whine. I observed my flock. Gazzy being about nine now, was holding on his strong face being my tough guy. Nudge had tears forming in the corner of her eyes from the harsh winds. Iggy was now leading the pack. I leveled myself so that I was farther back with Fang. If anyone was going to get hit first, let it be me._

But you've got to save the world Max. You of all people should not die. _Ugh, the Voice, wonderful timing as usual. But in my opinion, I say screw the world (I'm sorry for you good people living in it). But if one of these people died right now around me, than I would have no world to save._

_Get it?_

_Got it?_

_Good._

_Normally, when the wind is traveling past me, it's all I hear but at the moment, the bullets whipping past us were much louder. So of course, even if someone let out a scream of agony, I wouldn't have heard it. It just so happened that my eyes were locked in on watching Fang. Angel's prophecy two months ago still had me panicking. And Fang, always being silent of course, wouldn't ever let out a sign that he was hurt._

_Just ahead, I saw a glimpse of it. Forests, perfect for getting lost in. "To the forest guys, we'll loose them there!" Hope glimmered through the flock. We were stealthier than the enemies behind, snarling and shooting away. Our speed increased and we dove down towards the forest when I witnessed my world crashing._

_I took my eyes off him for one second…one second…and that's all it took. Suddenly, Fang wasn't there; he just wasn't beside me like he promised to be forever since the one time we had broken apart. I searched everywhere, up, down, left and right. When I peered over my shoulder, I saw his body rushing to the ground. "Keep going!" I ordered to the flock as I instantly turned around and flew after Fang. Any vision of the flock disappeared while I focused on him. I watched as his body hit the ground, blood streaming through his chest. What was worse was my bird-sight made it easier to see the bullet wound and his open, unfocused eyes. Blood trickled out the side of his mouth and his body appeared broken. Bodies of the enemies crashed around him, one even stepped on his hand._

He's dead_, the Voice echoed off in my head. NO! I felt my entire body crumple and die. Not Fang, not him, not one of my flock. Not the one I loved. Tears were impossible to hold back. The freezing wind made them ice up. I was no longer able to rush at him. Suddenly, my enemies weren't even focusing on me. I would've remained there until they shot me down too if they pleased. I finally landed on the ground a few feet between the forest and Fang. I took one step forward when a hand wrapped around my arm._

_I swung fast and assuredly. I heard the smack of my fist against whoever's face it was. I definitely broke their nose. "Max!" I heard a familiar voice but it was clouded with pain and it was kind of nasally. My entire eyesight was blurry with tears but I could care less that my enemy knew my name. I kept on fighting, hitting its gut and behind the knee. When the body crumbled to kneel down in front of me, I placed my hand over the neck, ready to scream. "It's me!" I squeezed a bit, hearing a gagging sound. My entire mind was set on getting Fang. "Max, it's Iggy!" My eyes went wide with shock and I dropped my hand._

_Iggy? Suddenly, I saw him there in front of me. Oh no, his nose was bleeding immensely. His blind eyes were staring up at me as if he could once again see. I saw a faint bruising on his neck because I squeezed so hard. I thought I told the flock to keep flying. I could tell Iggy was scared and upset, although he was trying his best to hide it, but he was no Fang. "Max, let's go. Before we lose you too."_

_I shifted my view over my shoulder, the enemies still there but now, they were standing erect and watching us. I heard Iggy behind me, adjusting himself and standing upright. "Nudge has Angel and Gazzy. Just come Max, I can't hear his heartbeat…" Iggy's voice trailed off. That's what did it for me. Not seeing Fang himself, eyes lifeless, and not even the Voice talking in my head made me believe it. But now, three strikes and I was out. Iggy had developed a skill to hear the flock's heartbeats from a father distance and distinguish each of us individually a while back. If he didn't hear Fang's heart, than, what I saw and what the Voice said was the truth. A tug on my windbreaker from Iggy caught my attention and I turned my attention to him by peering over my shoulder. "Fly Max," he whispered, "Please, just fly."_

_And I did._

The Verity

_What?..._

_...What happened? _

I heard the crashing of waves, which was strange because the last thing I remembered was flying with the flock. Max had been freaking out as usual about Angel's dumb prophecy and keeping an extra eye on me. Little did she know how much I was focusing on her, because her world was about to go crashing with all the worrying she did. I was ready to catch her when that happened of course.

But then…I fell and pain was erupting through my chest. That only lasted a second though. It was the nothingness that soon followed that lasted the longest. Absolutely nothing but black and the feeling that I was floating. And then, the crashing of waves erupted though my train of thought.

Now, there was the grainy, dry sand on my arms and the back of my neck. My shirt and jeans were sticking to my body as if wet. I smelt sand and I slightly moved my fingers. Still, I pictured a slight darkness in the haze of my mind and then, suddenly, I saw Max.

Sunlight strands of gold that normally hid behind the dark browns were coming forth in the shining glare behind her. She was leaning over me with a cocky grin on her face as if she had just saved the world and kicked my ass blindfolded at the same time. Geez, I loved that about her. I felt myself smirk and in response, her brown eyes lit up. I felt her hands on my chest. "Feeling better?" She teased with a wide grin that made her nose crinkle a bit. I lifted my head and went to kiss her because sometimes with Max, I couldn't help myself. I was just about to close the space between me and her when I opened my eyes and I was sitting up.

In front of me was an ocean with waves hitting over the surface. Max wasn't anywhere near me. There were no signs of Max ever being there. All that I had seen in those few seconds of her were part of my imagination. My head throbbed with a headache but other than that, I was fine. I lifted up my shirt to find my chest in the same condition it had been in before I was shot- full of scars from Ari attacking me but no gaping hole.

Slowly, I stood up and squinted at the horizon. There was no sign of land from what I could tell. Turning on my heels, I saw a forest but nothing more. A wind brushed past me as I made note of the complete isolation I now found myself in. I had gotten my island all right, but this wasn't exactly what I wanted. And what happened to the bullet wound that had obviously been there the last time I checked?

Most importantly, where was Max?

**AN: Welcome to my new fanfiction: Apocalypse.**

**So you know: The Alpha stands for "The Beginning"**

**And**

**The Verity stands for "The Truth"**

**So what did you like and what did you dislike? I'm seriously interested.**

**Drinking from a Welch's Pokemon glass,**

**Flyerac1029**


	2. Chapter 2

The Faux Pas

_I flew, just jumped into the air and flew off. Iggy followed closely behind. We kept going until we were in the forest. We found the flock, their eyes staring at us for an answer. All I could manage was a chocked sob at the empty, pain in my heart…_

I opened my eyes slowly. I felt the dried tears on my eyelids. My mouth was in a permanent frown. Is there a point to smiling? Not when you lose the love of your life there isn't. Cautiously, I sat up and observed my room. For two weeks we've been staying at my mother's house and that's only so the younger children could get a rest and regroup from Fang being taken from us.

Very aware of what day it was, I reached underneath my bed where I kept my backpack. Reaching inside, feeling the worn fabric cross my knuckles, I let my hand surround one sole item that I refused to take out. I pulled it out and let my fingers uncurl so I could see what I held.

"Merry Christmas Fang," I murmured.

I held a notebook, small enough to go in your pocket, with a black cover. I had gotten him this as a present for today. I let out a sob when I realized that I'd never be able to give him this. He wouldn't be able to write down any ideas for his blog or for his plans in here like I hoped he would.

A knock came at my door, when I didn't answer, I heard the hinges creak as it was forced open. Quickly, I tossed my bag and Fang's Christmas present underneath the bed. I watched the light flood into the darkness of my room and a shadow casted in the doorway's light. "Max?"

For the past two weeks, Iggy had taken complete charge, which sort of amazed me. When Fang and I were being leaders, Iggy was goofing off and blowing things up but now…

I carefully watched him, at least with his blindness, Iggy couldn't see me, the obvious bags from lack of sleep under my eyes and knotted hair. I curled my legs up to my chest and wrapped my arms around. His spiked hair was on the messier side. Wearing a loose tee shirt and baggy jeans, he stepped into the room. Iggy then shut the door and turned the lock. "What are you doing, Igs?" I asked.

I could barely see in the darkness, light was shining through the blinds. "We need to talk Max and I want to make sure the kids don't interrupt," Iggy noted. I felt his presence as he sat on the edge of the bed. "You barely leave. The kids are scared out of their minds about you. They've lost Fang," he practically heard me wince, "and now they feel as if they've lost you too." I gulped nervously and rested my chin on my arms.

Fang…

A hand rested on my shoulder and I was snapped back into reality, stupid, pointless reality. Iggy had his head turned towards me, his vibrant blue eyes were clear in the darkness. They were creeping me out a bit. "Max, you've still got three kids looking for you, waiting for you to show them that everything's going to be okay."

"It's not going to be okay, Igs." I whispered. I hadn't intended for him to hear but, his hearing was better than everyone else's. "I shouldn't have left him," I continued with a slight sob, which Iggy caught. His thumb began massaging my shoulder. Then, he pulled me towards him. Iggy's arms wrapped around me in a tight embrace. My own arms rested around his neck. "I'm broken Igs," I whispered in his ear. "Fix me, please." I needed to be the leader again, to move on, I just needed someone to help me. Iggy was the one I trusted now to do so.

"Max?" Iggy was confused as I watched the lines of his features carefully. He narrowed his blind eyes and his mouth was slightly open. I took my hand and placed it against his cheek, which made Iggy back away in terror. "No, Max, no," he shook his head but he didn't move from the bed. I reached out again, this time placing my fingers at the back of his neck and pulling him in. I crushed my lips violently against his, my eyes were shut. Iggy barely responded at first but as I became more persistent, he gave in. Our lips moved in sync and I did my best to swallow the images of Fang. I tried to imagine it was him I was kissing and holding. Deep down, I hoped and prayed that my actions now where with Fang, the one I really loved, and not Iggy.

And maybe, even as it began, I knew my actions were wrong and that I was using Iggy to my advantage. But at the same time, this was the only way that I could possibly be whole again, as I forced Iggy's shirt over his head. Just fix me, I thought and pleaded, hoping Iggy understood the reasons for my actions. And if there truly was a heaven and hell, I hope Fang, if he somehow knew what was going on, would forgive me.

The Ultimatum

"_Subject 02 pronounced dead at 11:14 a.m…_

_Subject 02 brought back to life at 11:20 a.m…_

_Full recovery…"_

Quickly, I sat up and opened my eyes, I grabbed the edged of my tee shirt, the fabric crumbled between my fingers. Sweat dripped down onto my eyes and I had to blink the droplets away. The voice was still echoing off the walls of my head, pounding away. I stood up fast, stumbling over my weak legs, and ran towards the edge of the beach. I ran full speed into the water and emerged myself into the freezing tides. I drowned out the noise of the voice and held my breath…then, remembering our trip on the submarine, I breathed in and out.

Slowly, my entire body relaxed, my arms moved slowly and I was afloat on the top. The voice was gone and my head stopped hurting. My eyes remained shut and the sun was shining through my eyelids so all I saw was a pinkish color. Was this how it felt to be Max? To have a voice stuck in your head that it hurts?

"_Fang?" _I jumped and planted my feet into the smooth bottom of the ocean. I heard Max, but when I looked around there was no sign of her. I stepped on to the dry sand and moved towards the edge of the forest. I had done a complete sweep of the place yesterday and all I found was no sight of land on the horizon and no sign of life on the island.

_Fang!_ Her voice was panicked and I'm not sure as to where I heard it but I rushed on forward through the greens of the forest. The vines and bushes tangled around my arms and legs but I pushed past them. I felt branches scrap across me and I pulled my wings in tight so as not to get them caught against anything.

Before I even realized it, the edges of the forests blurred from greens into images. I couldn't focus on them but when I tried to, my eyes no longer focused on where I was going. I tripped over a log and I skidded into a clearing. I covered my face with my arm. When I lifted my eyes, I saw something that couldn't possibly be there.

_White lights streamed down overhead. There was a silver table and men in white coats. "Subject 02 pronounced dead at 11:14 a.m." I sat up and watched as one of the scientists stepped aside. My mouth dropped opened as I recognized my own face on the table. "It's better off," the voice continued, "Now Subject 01 can focus on saving the world."_

_I stood up and moved towards the scene in front of me. Was I losing my mind? I stepped over to the scene. I reached out towards myself, my cheeks had remnants of blood from where I had been shot. My fingers stretched out and I felt the cold skin of my dead body. Shocked, I pulled away just as the "dead" me sat up gasping for air. Around me the scientists reacted, pushing me back down on the table. I heard a machine monitoring my heart rate._

_One injected an IV hooked up to my arm with an unknown liquid. My eyes shut and my heart rate slowed down. "Subject 02 brought back to life at 11:20 a.m." There was an outbreak of murmurs. Questions on what to do, how I was alive, etc. where echoing all around me. "Report," one of the voices demanded._

"_Full recovery," another voice called out from near the heart monitor. "What are we going to do?"The scientists exchanged looks while my body lie there completely alive. I took a step back away from them. How was I seeing all of this?_

"_Give him what he's wanted," I saw as a familiar face stepped forward through the crowd. Jeb, his eyes sparkling with evil, stared down on my body on the table. "Put him on a secluded island. Max will focus more now as long as she thinks he's dead."_

_Jeb's voice was getting louder making my head pound. I took a step back, did this actually happen? Does Max honestly think I'm dead? I shut my eyes and fell to the ground. Max…oh god, what was she going through? Oh geez, Max. I opened my eyes when my head finally stopped hurting. _

I saw the forests silent in front of me as ever.

Was I going crazy?

"Max," I whispered, holding my head.

* * *

**So, what did you think? **

**The Faux-pas means the Mistake.**

**The Ultimatum means the Challenge.**

**Don't always expect me to update this fast. I'm just sick right now and had to pass the time. If you could though, I'd appreciate to get the one review for this chapter. (which based off the reviews from last chapter and the ones so far for this would add up to twenty)**

**So please,**

**flyerac1029**


	3. Chapter 3

* * *

The Sensibility

Max…she was always strong and certain of herself. She made the best, smart decisions. But that was the Max with Fang.

New Max, she was just an empty shell that looked like the great Maximum Ride. I wasn't sure how to fix her, she was Fang's girl, not mine. She was always like a sister to me, the big older sister who always yelled at me for making bombs.

But Max was practically in tears…when she kissed me, I wasn't sure as to what I was supposed to do. But I knew what we were doing wasn't right.

**:::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

In my life, I have only loved eight people and one dog in my life. That's less than two hands worth of people.

Angel: My baby.

Gasman: My little trooper

Nudge: My talkative fashion guru

Ella: My half-sister

Jeb: Father (before he was a traitor)

Dr. Martinez: My mom

Total: Talking dog wonder

Iggy: My sexist bomber

Fang: Fang

Only one of them, however, did I truly love. Only one made my heart speed up, make me stumble with words, make me fly away with confusion, and still be the most trusted one in my life. The one who left me once upon a time but I took him back just as easily as if he had never been gone. One who kissed me under the stars in the dessert, one who just got me like he could read my mind, and made me feel like being Maximum Ride wasn't that bad after all.

Well guess what world?! He was gone. The stupid scientists that gave us life took his life away from us as if we had never lived at all. To them, we were experiments way past their expiration date like rotten milk cartons. They took him…they took Fang from us. They killed him…well, I guess I'd have to kill them back.

A tear slid down my cheek and touched Iggy's skin as well while we kissed. Sure, this didn't feel right. There was no hiding this was Iggy and not Fang. I'm a fool to think I could even try to go through with this.

_Max, stop. Get your act together and go save the world like you were created to do._

The Voice…for almost all of its existence had no characteristic besides annoying. Now, there was a tint of a tone so warm and familiar that I listened without question. I backed out of the kiss quickly and opened my eyes to see a frightened Iggy with his shirt off. My eyes went as wide as dinner plates. What had I almost done? I covered my face in embarrassment and burst into tears.

"Max," I heard Iggy grabbing his shirt and putting it back on.

"I'm sorry Igs," I mumbled through my hands. My shoulders were shaking. I felt Iggy reach out for me but I was so scared of what I might do that I pulled away. Happy Christmas, I thought miserably to myself. "I…I don't know what got into me."

I stood up and turned my back to Iggy. I ran a hand through my hair. I opened my eyes but only because when I shut them I pictured Fang, falling and then lying there dead on the ground. "You're hurt Max. You aren't yourself." No, the real me wouldn't have made such an irrational decision as to make out with her friend, almost like a brother, because the love of her life was shot. What a screwed up life I have… "Max, come downstairs, the kids want to see you." How could Iggy act so innocently as if I hadn't just made a move on him…two weeks after Fang died? How could he be so understanding about the fact that I was using him? I swallowed back more tears and turned around, Iggy still sat on the bed looking at me. "Max," he said with a mature voice, "You made a mistake. You're broken. I will fix you…I promise. But this," he waved a hand between us, "Is definitely not the way to do so."

I wiped my eyes, "Since when did you grow up?" Iggy laughed and I smirked. "You're right though," he raised an eyebrow because I never admit that Iggy is right ever, "I made a mistake, a stupid, unlike me mistake." Iggy gave me a sad smile and nodded his head to agree with me. "I'm going for a fly, then I'll go visit the kids." Without hesitation, I went for the window and jumped out, wearing nothing but pajamas even though it was the cold of winter.

As the wind made my eyes tear up, I focused on just flying through the gray and cloudy sky. There was a distinct smell of possible snow. My arms and bare feet felt the chill of the winter air.

_Fly all you want Max, you can't leave your troubles behind._

At the sound of the Voice, I tucked in my wings and let myself fall towards the ground. I landed in a pile of snow and curled my body up.

_Fang is gone Max…he's dead._

_**What do you want with me?! Are you just screwing with me Voice? Huh, is that what you want? To break me apart…well, you've done your job because I'm fucking broke.**_

_Emotions Max, you're too attached to them. One day, you're going to lose your mind because of them._

_**Maybe I already have…just shut the hell up.**_

_Max…_

_**SHUT UP!**_

I let out one broke sob to erase the Voice out of my head, especially as it said my name because…because…

Because now, instead of not knowing who the Voice was, it was definitely a he. I recognized the tone, the slight whisper like autumn leaves landing on the ground. I had known this voice since we could talk. The Voice, for some reason, sounded exactly like…

Fang.

The Augury

The only thing she ever wanted was for me to be there.

Sadly, I couldn't be. I had searched the island. No sign of life. I searched the seas. No sign of land. The truth of the matter was, I was on a secluded island and knowing my luck, it was in the freakin' Bermuda Triangle where all those people get lost.

I sat on a log that I found stranded and broken on the sand. For some reason, seeing that lone long out there, it reminded me of Max. I bet she was worrying about me. She always worried about me. I poked at the fire I made. Eventually, I'd have to find some animal to cook up and enjoy while trying my best to devise of a plan. I felt myself getting warmer near the flames. My eyes stared down at the reflection of the fire, the oranges and reds and yellows brilliantly coming together in a tracing moment until…

_"Totally cute," Nudge stated while Max and I landed on the beach still holding hands. Have you ever flown while holding someone's hand and then trying to land without letting go? Well, no, I guess you haven't so all you can go off is my opinion. It's hard. We all went to sit on a few logs that had been purposely placed on the beach for people to sit on. It was nice, we were all alone._

_We all talked, had a good time, and ate. Max started to get tired and rested her head on my shoulder. She smelled like salt water and coconuts. Her tanned skin was lightly freckled and she was dressed in shorts and a tee shirt. This was Max happy and relaxed. She was beautiful._

_Eventually, we had to go to bed and we opted to stay out on the beach for the night where we could watch the stars. I offered to take first watch because Max was tired, especially after she had saved her mother. I still recall the feeling of her breaking down in my arms. Max gave me this serious look and said, "Can I use you for a pillow?" I would've responded, 'you could use me for a punching bag' but she was already resting her head on my leg so I chose to just let her go to sleep._

_I was tending after the fire when I started to lose focus on my sight. It zoomed in and out, and I would've freaked out but I didn't want to wake up the rest of the flock. Images flashed in front of my eyes, the flock flying and then falling. A voice rang out in my head in a painful manner, _Fang will be the first to die.

_I was forced out of my trance by a scream and I looked over to see Angel. Her eyes connected with mine, the last image both in our minds…it was me, dead. Max was wide awake now, "What's going on?"_

_"Max," Angel whispered, "I just saw something…the future…and it said Fang will be the first to die." Blocking my thoughts from Angel, I wondered if she realized that she had been reading my mind or if she honestly thought it was herself who had just seen the images…of the possible future. Would it come true?_

_I hoped not, not with the way Max's eyes staring at me with a pained expression._

I reached out for Max's hand, forgetting that it was just an old memory, and my hand entered the flames. Screaming with the warmth, I freaked out and pulled away. My hand appeared normal but my entire body was burning up. My blood was boiling and I shut my eyes as I let out a scream of agony.

What was going on with me? I raked my burning hands through my hair. The insides of me felt on fire but on the outside I was normal. A Voice rang through my mind…

_Your journey has only just begun Fang..._

* * *

**So did you like it?**

**The Sensibilty means The Ability to Feel**

**The Augury means The Prophecy**

**see ya,**

**flyerac1029**


	4. Chapter 4

The Luminary

"Max!" Suddenly, I was engulfed in small grasps and attacked by many questions.

"Why are you wet and cold?"

"How did you get downstairs and manage to walk through the front door without us noticing? Or did you go out your window? You know you're feet are a weird color right now?"

"Max, are you all right?"

I peered down at Angel's bright blue eyes. I lot of my thoughts had to be blocked from her. I mean- the desperate, trying to grasp onto reality and deal with Fang never being here- part of me blamed Angel for his dying. She could tell he was going to die before me. Why couldn't she have seen when to save him? I shook my head, my eyes close to welling up with tears, as Angel squeezed her arms around me. Nudge and Gazzy followed suit. I didn't hate Angel, I honestly didn't blame her, the really screwed up part of me wanted to though. It would be much easier.

Iggy sat in the background, his arms crossed, and his blind eyes eerily gazing right at me. Just then, my mom stepped in. She had an apron around her waist, her hands covered in flour, and her eyes looking a bit weary. Not that I could blame her, she was helping take care of the flock.

"Max? Sweetie?" The kids backed away and my mom rushed over to me. She wrapped her arms around me, "How are you honey?" See, my mother _got_ it. Most of you probably have mothers who would seriously doubt that you found your soul mate at age fourteen. My mom- she _knew_, probably way before I did that Fang and I- we were it.

Romeo and Juliet had nothing on Fang and I.

"I'm all right mom," I whispered. Although on the inside I was freaking out. It's not everyday that the voice of your dead best friend/ love of your life is telling you what to do.

_Who better than me Max? Maybe it's been me along. Maybe I really am Fang._

**No, Fang is dead. I saw it with my own eyes. And besides, if you were Fang, you would care enough to tell me right now that you were alive instead of screwing with me so shut up.**

_You should know to never believe what you see. Remember Ari?_

**Stop. Now.**

I winced at the sound of the voice. It wasn't like the pain when I first caught the annoyance of the voice. This was heartbreaking.

My mom and I separated. All right, I gave myself a pep talk. The lives of others hung on my shoulders. The world hung on my shoulders. I was a leader. I had no choice but to be strong.

"Okay guys, I know today's Christmas. We're going to relax but tomorrow, we pack and head out. We've been here too long and I don't want any of the enemies attacking my mom and sister." I placed my hands on my hip, typical heroine stance.

Nudge nodded her head. Gazzy smirked, a little bit releaved. Angel too seemed suddenly happier. Why?

_Because you're acting like the Max they know and love. Like I love._

**Voice? Will you just go away or switch back to unhuman audio?**

_Bigger picture Max, you do that and you'll understand why._

"So where are we going?" Iggy asked. He too had calmed down. I'm sure he was probably freaking out on the inside. But he was now my right-hand man and he had to be adult-like and make decisions. He could do it, I had complete faith in Iggy. Out of all of us, he was the greatest adaptor.

So where were we going?

_Connecticut._

"Connecticut," I replied, slightly regretting for listening to Fang's voice. But a part of me was in complete control of whatever his Voice told me to do.

"Why there?" My mother asked.

Our eyes connected and suddenly, she practically knew what was going on inside my head. Mothers are creepy like that sometimes.

"We've got to see the country, find some experiments maybe, some other facilities, and Connecticut is across the coast. Kind of like a fly trip." Gazzy laughed. Angel smirked. Nudge's eyes lit up. Only Iggy truly saw past the false personality, ironically. But to the rest of the flock…

Max was Back.

And for them, I was glad to pretend.

The Memoria

When Max and I were eleven, shortly before Jeb left, he took us out into the woods outside the E-house. For some reason, I was dreaming about that moment, but it was different, it was stranger, maybe because I was a fourteen year old now looking back at it. I knew more now than I knew back then.

_Max walked in front of me and then Jeb in front of Max. I knew she would never admit it, but Max loved Jeb. We all loved him, but Max definitely loved him more than everyone else. He told her how she was special and that she would change the world. I don't think Jeb ever said words like that to me._

_Anyways, the woods were large and dark, sort of scary but all I had to do was fly away. How many in the world can say that? Only six of us. There were six kids who could fly and that was it. We were special. The elite. Max was the most special because she was the first, the original, the Alpha._

_"Look," suddenly Jeb kneeled down. Max and I soon stood next to him to stare down at bird's nest with two round, cream colored with brown speckled eggs. Max's eyes went wide. We had never seen eggs before- like ones that probably had baby birds in them. "Inside there is life," Jeb whispered, "Go on, pick it up."_

_Max and I both picked up an egg. Max cradled hers better than mine. She was a natural, I had to be cautious and careful. "Think about it now, you are holding the world in the your hands, Max. You too Fang. A life is in your hands, the entire life of one individual creature. Your duty is to protect them."_

_Max's eyes narrowed, as if she knew then that Jeb was hinting to Max's greatest purpose, "But, the eggs have a Mom, Jeb. They're already protected." Then, Jeb and Max's eyes connected._

_"You're right," Jeb stated. "They are protected by the expected. But could you protect them from the unexpected. What if their mom dies? What if there's an explosion? What if crazy scientist decide to take these eggs and experiment on them? Do you think the mother bird is capable of taking care of them?" Both Max and I shook our heads. "Exactly, that's why we are all here. Because we are the ones to protect the world from what they don't expect to come."_

_"Oh, but I don't want to take the mom's babies. Do you Fang?" Her brown eyes rested on me and I quickly shook my head. I always agreed with Max. Something about her made me agree very easily with her._

_"Then put them back, but know, that some part of their future rests right now in your hands." Max put her egg down carefully and it rested there as if it had never been touched. I went next but as soon as my egg hit the next, I must've put too much force because the egg cracked and clear goop seeped out. "Fang," Max hissed. "What have you done?"_

_"I-," but I shut my mouth. I didn't trust words to explain my complete horror at what I had done. I had that life in my hand and I had taken it away so easily as if it was nothing….the scientists did that to me and the flock- they took our lives away. Now, it was as if I wasn't any better than them. Max rushed by, as if thinking I had done it on purpose. I went to chase after her but a hand rested on my shoulder._

_"Fang," Jeb whispered. He turned me around and looked me straight in the eye. "It's all right, you weren't meant to hold the lives of others in your hand." I narrowed my eyes with confusion. Jeb smirked, "You weren't meant to protect many. You were meant to protect just one." Then, he peered over my shoulder to where Max had run off._

_"Max?" I asked._

_Jeb smiled again, "That's right. You're supposed to protect Max. I can tell that you'd do anything for her. Is that right?" I eagerly nodded my head. "Max, she's the kind to always protect the world. And Fang, you're the one who's supposed to protect her. Promise me you will."_

_Jeb didn't wait for an answer. Instead, he stood up and walked away._

_It was as if he already knew then that every moment of my being would be dedicated to Max and Max alone._

I'm resting on the beach. My eyes are shut but I am awake. I can hear voices though, all around me, and I'm confused. Maybe it's the wind or maybe it's the Voice again.

_"Subject 3 ready for departure?"_

_"Yes."_

There was loud clanging and screaming. A voice- Jeb's rung over the rest of them.

_"You don't get it do you! She's not going to fall for it. She's better than you ever anticipate. Why do you always underestimate Max? Why don't you see?"_

Then there was silence. But I wasn't alone just yet, the Voice.

_Don't you see Fang? _

_What you see? What you know? It isn't everything that you need to know. Fight Fang…because the world you are in now may not exist for much longer._

I opened my eyes and stared at the vibrant blue sky, clouds drifting by.

_Max would want you to fight? Why aren't you fighting?_

Maybe the Voice was right. Max always listened to it whenever it came about in her mind and it had never been wrong. I stood up and thought, maybe, just maybe, I saw her. Max, on the edge of the horizon.

I ran to the edge of the water and kept swimming, I saw her there in a blue jacket and torn jeans. Her hair whipping past her shoulders and her determined look. "Max!" I screamed as loud as I could. The water entered my mouth and sputtered. But as close as I swam to her, the farther away she seemed to get. I lifted myself out of the water with my wings and began to fly. But still, I could not reach her. I was sweating, so close to reaching her. But if she was real, I finally concluded while about to pass out, than she would've seen me too and she would come to me.

I gave into my tired soul and fell into the water.

When I woke up, I was back on the island as if I had never left.

* * *

**The Luminary**** is**

**The Leader**

**The Memoria**** is**

**The Memory (in Spanish)**

**So what did you think?**

**Confused? Good, I want you to be, at least in Fang's situation.**

**So what do **_**you **_**think?**

**Also, a new character will come into play next chapter, but I need twelve reviews before I post it and you can find out who it is.**

**From,**

**Flyerac1029**


	5. Chapter 5

The Tantamount

"Hey Max," I peered over my shoulder to see Iggy "glancing" over at me. "I think we should land, we might not know where the next town will be." I nodded in agreement and angled my wings down towards the edge of the woods just outside of a small town in Ohio.

We had been traveling for a eight hours now and had made tremendous progress. I stretched my legs out. Half the reason I enjoyed flying was since I started, I hadn't been bothered by the Voice once.

_Trying to get rid of me, come on Max. I thought you loved me._

_**No way are you Fang,**_ I reasoned,_** No way he ever talked this much- Ever.**_

_Whatever you chose to believe Max._

The Flock followed me out of the woods as I held myself together. No break-downs today, I informed myself. There was only a light layer of snow so I wasn't too worried about being cold but, I wasn't too focused on that. "Max, do we have any money?" Nudge asked. Angel stepped next to me and wrapped her hand in mine.

'Yep," I told her. "My mom gave us a few bills to get us enough food on our fly to Connecticut." The town we walked in on was small and slightly quiet. We found the nearest restaurant, a place called Morey's, and stepped in. "Try to blend in," I reminded them. Everyone nodded in agreement as we sat in a booth by the window.

We weren't the only ones in. The day after Christmas, so kids were eating here as well. I guess this was the local hang out possibly. How would I know though right? I'm nowhere near normal, remember? A waitress stepped in and handed us each a menu. She was our age.

"You guys aren't local, are you visiting family?" I thought a waitress's job was to order our food. Boy was I missed informed.

"Yeah, my siblings and I have relatives in the town over but we got sick of the food there." Iggy answered. "Plus, Jessica over hear wanted to give her driver's license a try." Iggy pointed his thumb at me. "I think we're all set to order," he continued.

Everyone ordered. My order reply condescended to the few amount of words that I could manage. "I'll have what he's having," with a nod towards Iggy. Nudge started up a conversation on the newest teen sensation- some boy with flipped blonde hair and an annoying voice. Gazzy and Angel started playing tic-tac-toe on one of the paper mats that were thrown out afterwards. Iggy stirred his straw in his drink. I kept my eyes on the table.

A pale hand reached over and tapped the table in front of me. I looked up to see Iggy casually watching me. "You all right?" He asked in a whispered voice. Iggy was across from me and behind him was the rest of the restaurant.

"Yeah," I replied. If by 'fine' you mean totally crazy because you're hearing the voice of your dead best friend in your head. Then I was more than fine, I was extremely 'fine'. Iggy shrugged as I took a quick scan of the restaurant. There was one group of kids across from us in the farthest corner, laughing obnoxiously loud. Another couple sat a few booths down. Then, another group of kids, one of them was standing up with his back turned to us and he was saying good-bye.

"See ya around," the voice caught my ears and I tilted my head. I thought I was just hearing it but I saw Iggy stiffen too in recognition. The boy standing up suddenly turned around and my entire body went rigid. My heart exploded and my head went dizzy. I watched as the stranger walked towards me (well not towards me but to the door which was behind me).

The boy was taller than me, with dark black hair and dark eyes. He had thin lips and tan skin. He was dressed in a dark blue shirt and black pants. He had his hands in his pocket and he was moving in a confident walk. My mouth was wide open in shock and when his eyes caught mine, he had this confident grin. But—it wasn't him. It couldn't be. But I watched as it happened—as Fang walked right by me.

"Igs," I whispered, "Watch the flock, keep them in the town, there's…something I have to do." I pulled the money out of my pocket and grabbed Iggy's hand to hand it over. Iggy's hand grasped mine and kept me where I was.

"Max," he warned. I knew what he was thinking. I knew it.

"Igs," I warned back. "Just let me figure this out." I pulled my hand away from him and looked at the flock. "Guys, I'm going to fly around and see if there's a place to spend the night." The flock thought nothing of it, except Igs. Even Angel didn't know because I kept it blocked from my mind. Quickly, I left the restaurant and followed the boy in the direction that I had seen him walking.

He was still on the street, casually walking, and I was trying my best to decide exactly what he was. Either he was a clone—like Max II. Maybe he was just a coincidence and just happened to look like Fang. Or maybe, this was Fang without his memory. None of those seemed to work but I was walking a few steps before I found that he had turned around and was staring right at me.

"I saw you checking me out before." Okay—definitely not Fang without his memory because Fang never spoke like that. The boy in front of me had this confident grin and his eyes lit up. He was happy and excited that I was following him. I crossed my arms and walked over so that I was a few feet in front of him. "My name's Lex. I've never seen you around here before and I've lived here my whole life."

Okay, coincidence still applied here. Clone too because clones could lie. "My name's Max," I held out my hand. He took it and I saw a strange look appear across his face the minute he took my hand.

"You've met someone like me before," he stated.

My eyes narrowed in confusion but I nodded my head.

"And, he meant a lot." Again, I nodded my head.

What was going on? Lex let go of my hand and I let mine uselessly drop to my side.

"I'm not him," he warned me. "You've had an interesting life Max."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"If I told you, then I'd have to kill you," he said with a grin.

"Ha—I'd like to see you try." I crossed my arms, watching this stranger carefully.

"So—you can fly." He stated simply. "I thought I was the only one."

"Ummm....what?"

The Idiosyncrasy

"Fang, wake up."

_I slowly opened my eyes and groaned as a bright light flashed in my face. I lifted my hand to cover my face but my hand didn't listen. Which, slightly made me panic, but at the moment, my body wasn't even responding to me._

_A figure blocked the light and stared down at me._

_Jeb._

"Listen, I can't help you much right now, but I need you to know something." _Of course you can't help me, I thought, you've never helped us. You're all about hurting Max, you stupid traitor._

_Can you tell that I don't like betrayal?_

"Fang, you've been in a medical coma for three weeks now." _What? Three Weeks? But I was only on the island for three days. Max has been living for three weeks and thinks I'm dead. Oh crap, if she finds out I'm alive, she's going to kill me._

"That island was a drug induced dream created by the scientists. Right now, I've only woken up the part of your brain that can interpret reality. Your body is still in coma mode." _Oh, so my hands can't reach up and strangle you? How unfortunate._ "Fang, I need you to understand."

_What that you're an evil scientist? Well no duh doc._

"Max is on a mission, she has to save the world, but they believe she's lost focus because of you. It took everything I had for power to let them keep you alive. I'm sorry but there's very little I can do at the moment."

_Well isn't this weird, you trying to help me you traitorous bastard._

"Fang," _Jeb's eyes narrowed for a moment._ "You should know—Max's role is coming to an end."

_I felt my heart drop. What?_

_Jeb's eyes looked sorrowful and a tear fell from his eye._

"I'm sorry but I have to send you back."

_The blinding light came back and when it disappeared—_

_I was back on the island._

**So-**

**The Tantamount means "The Same"**

**The Idiosyncrasy means "The Difference"**

**What did you think? I hope you guys all got that Fang is alive but the ones who have him captive have put him into a medically enduced coma to keep him trapped within the school. A lot more to come if you want. =)**

**flyerac1029**

* * *


	6. Chapter 6

The Proxy

"How do you know about my wings?" I asked. And yes, I openly admitted it but hey, it's not like I let the human-avian secret out of the bag. Lex seemed pretty convinced that he knew everything there was to know about me.

"I know everything about you, Maximum."

See what I mean?

"Huh?" I shoved my hands in my pockets to keep them warm. If it weren't for the fact that he looked so much like Fang, I probably would've run away in fear.

"Well, it's not like I can tell you everything." He said with a smirk.

"Then, I'm leaving," I turned around, but then his hand wrapped around my wrist and made me turn around. I yanked my hand away.

"Listen, I know you're mad."

"Oh, do you?" I retorted.

"Yes, I do. But Angel can read minds and you don't exactly ask her to explain how her gifts work. I can't just tell you how _my_ gift works." He crossed his arms and watched me carefully. "Do you trust me Max?"

"No," I answered honestly. He laughed. "I'm not joking."

"But you're intrigued, right?" I nodded my head.

He nodded his head and smiled, "Then come with me."

"Uh," I said slowly, "I'm not so sure."

"We're going to my house, where I live, with my mother." He explained.

"Ha, and Ari was actually was a character in the Wiggles." Lex raised an eyebrow at me as if I was crazy. "You don't know Ari," I explained.

"No, I know who he is, but should you really talk so ill about the dead." I winced because he actually had a point. "You want answers, well, come with me Max. I'm not so good at explaining it like my mom is."

Lex started walking without me and of course, my curiosity got the best of me so I followed a few feet behind. The house that Lex stopped at was small, two floor, white with black shutters on the windows, and heck, it even had the traditional American picket-white fence. I let my fists form in case the worst happened.

We stepped inside. There was a living room with a television and a small woman stepped in. Well, actually she was pretty tall except for the fact that my avian genes or whatever make me tall. Lex too was really tall.

She looked like Fang a bit with her dark, black curls and tan skin. She smiled wide when she saw me, "I was wondering when I'd see you."

Lex looked confused, "You know her mom?"

"Yes sweetie, she's Jeb's daughter. You remember him?" Lex nodded his head slowly as if he understood. "Sit down, please. Why'd you bring her here Lex?"

"To explain my gift, not the wings one—she get's that one." Lex's mother nodded her head and sat down.

"Well, Lex, he knows everything about you. It's probably freaking you out right?" She stated. She was sitting in the chair across from the couch. Lex sat down next to me, but kept a very large space between us thank goodness.

"Yeah," I replied. "I'm freaking out." She laughed.

"You're a lot like your father. We worked together," she explained. "Anyways, the reason Lex knows about you, is he has this gift to learn of anyone's entire past through one touch. So, the minute you shook hands or what not, he learned everything." Well, that's a bit evasive.

"Weird," I said.

"At least you don't have to live with it. No one has secrets from me. It's scary as hell," Lex said with a smile.

"So, is anyone else with you?" She asked hopefully.

I swallowed and looked down, "Just Iggy, Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel—oh, and Total."

"What about…Fang?"

I lifted my head, "How do you know about him?"

"Because," the woman stated slowly, "He's my son."

"What?" Lex demanded.

"It was a hard secret to keep from you honey, but you had a twin brother. Identical. It was part of an experiment." She said, her voice a bit weak.

"What kind?" I asked.

"Well, they wanted one of the experiments to live a life outside the School. I tried to protest for both of my sons but they only gave me Lex. They wanted to see how one bird kid did with survival compared to a bird kid in a flock of them." She swallowed, "It was so hard, but Jeb stopped by and filled me in on Fang."

"How could I not know any of this?" Lex stood up, he was just like Fang when he was angry. I turned to Lex's—and Fang's—mother.

"We have our ways honey," she answered. "Did Fang know of his power?" I raised an eyebrow because I wasn't sure if she was referring to his ability to turn invisible. "Well, he had the opposite of Lex's gift," she explained, "Fang can see the future of those around him."

"From what I saw, she thought Angel was the one who could see the future, not Fang." I stood up and shook my head. Lex was watching me carefully, "Mom, Fang—from what I saw in Max's past—died a few weeks ago."

_You found my family._

_**Shut up, you're not helping.**_

___Sorry._

I heard Lex's mom sob. "What?" But I didn't have the chance to explain. I stared over at Lex, calmly looking at me for a response of some sort. He looked just like Fang when he waited for an answer.

"Listen, I have to go." I headed towards the door. "I can't talk about Fang."

I had the doorknob in my hand when I heard Lex cry out, "You loved him didn't you?"

"I _love_ him." I said sternly. "Goodbye."

I stepped outside and started walking back towards the diner. I knew the flock would be panicking by now. I had been gone too long. I was almost there when a voice cried out.

"Wait! I'm coming with you!"

It was Lex.

The Elusion

"Fang, wake up."

I opened my eyes and in a panic, I sat up. I sat Jeb kneeling beside me and looking very serious. "What?" I asked, my voice cracked because I hadn't used it for so long.

"Listen, I'm helping you escape but you must promise to do exactly as I say." I nodded my head because I wasn't one with many choices at the moment.

I stood up and we began to walk out the door. "Just act calm," Jeb whispered. Embarrassingly enough, I was dressed in a light blue hospital gown. A few men walked by and I bowed my head as Jeb pushed me forward, pretending that I was his prisoner for all I knew.

I was reminded of when we escaped from the School. Jeb brought me outside and I was about ready to lift off when I felt a pinch on my neck. I watched as Jeb pulled a needle out and with a grim face he stared at me. "Sorry, but I said we had to do this my way." I collapsed but felt Jeb catch me. Then I was resting on a metal floor of what was most likely the gray van I had seen when I stepped outside. I fell asleep by no choice of my own.

_"Jeb," Max whispered. Back then, I only knew her as the girl in the cage next to mine. It wasn't like we had names—we weren't worthy of them. "What are you doing?" Jeb placed the newest baby with wings in her arms. _

_ "We're getting out." He whispered. I watched as he started to unlatch the other cages._

_ "Out?" Max asked confused. She stared over at me, watching for an expression from me. She tilted her head at me before turning her attention back to Jeb. "What's about out?"_

_ Jeb looked at me, "You're in charge of him." He pointed to Iggy, who had bandages over his eyes. He had gone through an experiment to see if they could bring his eyesight back. It hadn't worked. I grabbed his hand as Jeb picked up little Gazzy. "All right, act normal, we're going to try and walk out of here._

_ We started walking and Jeb nodded at all the scientist. "Group experiment," he would mumble so no suspicions would be raised. I still remember walking out and feeling the sun hurt my eyes as I felt the fresh air for the first time. Max had stopped for a moment, but during our walk she had grabbed my hand. I pulled her forward. I was the one who kept her moving and seconds after we got into Jeb's van and began to speed off—the alarms went off but it was too late. We were already gone._

_ My dream changed and I was just floating in the air and looking down on the roof of a building. I watched as someone ran out and then, to my surprise, Max and the flock followed them. "Hurry, we don't have much time left," that was Iggy calling out. All of the figures them, even the one I didn't recognize, opened up their wings and shot out into air. Shortly after, there was an explosion and they were all safe. But I heard Max scream and suddenly, she was falling to the ground._

"Max!" I sat up. Normally, when I'm in an unfamiliar place, I freak out. But I knew these dark blue walls better than any others. I recognized the black comforter and the dresser against the wall. I was breathing heavily and I was wondering, maybe, if this was past and the moments I had ever experienced where just a dream. Did I honestly never fight Ari and almost die? Did Max and I never kiss? Did Jeb honestly save me?

I stood up slowly. I was back home, back in the E house, back in the place where I had the happiest memories, give or take a few. This was the place where I was always safe. I walked out and looked around. I could feel its emptiness as if it had been empty for months, which it had. I thought the Erasers had burned it down, but we had never figured to actually check.

I headed down to the familiar kitchen and I found a box of cereal in the center with a note attached. My name was scribbled across. I went and opened it.

_Fang,_

_ No, you are not in a hallucination anymore. This is reality. You are here, not only for your own protection, but for Max's. I can't have you out and about looking for her, there are too many cameras, traitors, whatever that can spot you and give away my position. I'm here to help. The fridge is fully stocked and, hopefully, if everything goes as you saw, then, Max might be with you soon. Just promise me you won't go out and try to find her. Please._

_If you love her, you'll keep her alive and stay here._

_Jeb_

I dropped the letter and looked around. This had to be a dream. This didn't make sense. How was me being here safer for Max than not being with her. I had to protect her. I walked around slowly and then, found myself in shock as I stared in the mirror that Nudge had put in the hallway for quick make-up checks.

My hair was gone, completely shaven off, and there was a large, bumpy scar that ran along the center as if my scalp had been cut open. The few hairs I had where growing in short stubbles. A scar was tracing along my jaw and then, when I looked down, I saw the bumpy circle over my heart of where a bullet had passed through.

I wasn't in a dream anymore.

-----

**Proxy means the substitute**

**The Elusion means the escape**

**So what did you think?**

**Bye for now,**

**Flyerac1029**


	7. Chapter 7

The Vicissitude

Lex wasn't the kind of person I wanted in the flock.

And no, it had nothing to do with the fact that he looked like Fang.

Well, maybe a little bit, but that wasn't my only excuse.

We were huddled into a flock meeting while Lex casually leaned against a post a few feet away. And as it was, short one member, we were at evens counting Total.

"I say we let him in, he seems awfully lonely standing there by himself," Nudge replied. She watched Lex carefully for a second before turning her head and facing the group. "But honestly Max, it's really your decision it comes down to. If you can't have him around without…without being like you were after…what happened, than he shouldn't come."

"I don't like his smell," Total muttered.

"I think we can't trust him," Gazzy whispered. "What if he's the equivalent to Max II? For all we know, his mom could just be a scientist and she's lying too." I smirked at him and ruffled his hair. He was thinking smart.

"He's not lying, I can tell," Angel whispered. "All his thoughts are normal and very non-threatening." She stood in the middle of us from where we huddled. I then turned my attention to silent Iggy, my new right hand man.

"Igs?" I asked.

He shrugged, "Well, what is he to you Max?" Everyone was watching me on this one.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I have no issue with the guy being in the flock. He's clearly 'one of us' in the having wings department. But is he just going to be a replacement? Are you trying to make him fill Fang's spot?" I winced at the mention of his name.

"No," I answered, "I just don't know about him. He knows everything about me through one touch. Who's to stay he can't be the enemy? Maybe he's on our side today, but tomorrow can easily change that, right?"

"Still Max," Angel insisted, "He's Fang's brother. He's part of this flock honestly. We can't say no."

I knew she had a point.

::::Several Days Later::::

"You know, you've barely said two words to me since I first met you." We were all resting on the top of a food chain restaurant. We were only a few hours from Connecticut and I had a feeling of heading over there.

"Well, here's four more." I replied before turning my head and staring at the black sky. I was on watch and Lex was sitting on the ledge of the roof. I was too. We were facing each other with a good amount of distance between us.

Lex laughed, "I wonder who I'd be if I was in my brother's position and he was in mine. I would've liked having a flock, a group of people to understand me."

"You'd be dead," I pointed out. There were dark clouds covering the moon so it was almost completely dark.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Seconds ticked by and I listened to Lex tap his fingers against the brick wall. It was very, very annoying. "So, how long have you been on the run?"

"Long enough," I whispered.

Lex nodded his head, hearing what I said. "I can tell you don't like me much. I suppose I look a lot like Fang. I knew you and he were closer than you were to the rest of the flock."

"I love all of them," I shot back. Lex stood up and walked over to me. Now, in comparison to where I sat, I couldn't see his lower half.

"Liar," he teased. "You loved him more than all of them. In your decision between them or him, it would be him in a heartbeat, wouldn't it?" He crossed his arms and stood a few inches away from me.

"I'd surprise you," I clenched my jaw. I wrapped my arms around my legs while continuously glaring at him.

"But you see him now all the time now that I'm around, don't you?"

"No," I spat, "I don't."

"How could you not? We are twins after all."

At first glance, Lex may have looked a lot like Fang, but anyone who spent so much time staring at Fang could see the differences in the two after awhile. For example, there was the obvious that Lex talked too much. But Lex also had smaller eyes that were spread out farther. Lex's nose was bent from a bad break. His hair was styled professionally and too perfect. His grin was larger and his teeth were huge. Nowhere near to what Fang ever was.

"I'm not that bad a person," Lex brought me out of my trance.

"I suppose you aren't," I replied, "But that doesn't change the fact."

"What fact would that be?" He challenged.

"The fact that no matter how much you look and sound like Fang, you aren't him and I'm going to have to deal with the fact that I will never get him back again."

We sat silently for the rest of the night, letting what I said sink in.

The Subsequent

"Fang?!" I walked down the stairs, pretty fast, at the sound of another living being in the house besides me. It had been about a week now and I was already losing my mind.

Jeb stood there with his hands in his pockets and a grim look on his face. Lines were all over his face from the stress. At least he didn't have to save the world like Max, who was beautiful all the time. "How is everything? I hope the house still suits your likings?"

"Cut the crap," I mumbled.

"Should you really be talking to the person who saved you?" I went into the kitchen and went to grab some food. Well, he was also keeping me prisoner here. I wasn't much for the mood of thanks. Jeb seemed to get that. "Fine," he mumbled, "Let's just talk."

"What did they do to me?" I motioned to my scalp as I grabbed a banana.

"You're gift," Jeb said simply. I raised an eyebrow. "Of seeing the future," he continued. Well that's new. "They got into the system of it and began tracking the future to avoid Max beating them."

"I don't see the future," I replied simply.

"Yes you do," Jeb affirmed. "Yes you can. How else do you think we discovered Max was destined to save the world?"

"What?" I asked, but the memory was already coming back to me.

_"Jeb! Jeb!" I ran into his room, it was the middle of the night and I was frightened. The nightmare was strange and I was only eleven. It was almost as bad as living back in the school._

_"What is it Fang?"_

_"I saw Max, but…she was older…and I saw me…I was older too. We were fighting and I saw Max's face. She hated me Jeb." Jeb rushed over. He knew this was serious because I had a dream a week before of spilling milk on Max's favorite shirt and it actually happened. Only Jeb knew about that too. "We were fighting and at one point Max was choking me. She was crying and was upset and said, "I'm sorry. But I had to save the world. This is the only way." Then, she began punching my face and I was just about to die when I woke up." Jeb was suddenly shaking me. Tears of fear were running down my face. Max hated me enough to hurt me, if this came true I don't know what I would do._

_"Fang," Jeb yelled. "Fang! You've got to listen to me." He smacked my face lightly to gain my attention. I stared him in the eyes but my body was trembling. "I don't want you to give this information away to anyone else. Do you hear me?" I didn't respond at first. "Do you hear me?! You must _never_ mention anything about this again. If this means you never talk again, I don't care! I want you to forget this happened. Never let Max know of her fate, no matter what. She has to save the world, you've seen this! So not another word," Jeb demanded._

"You remember now?" Jeb asked.

I nodded my head. It was a life changing moment for me because after that night, where Jeb shook me and yelled at me, I became a different person.

After that, I barely said another word.

* * *

The Vicissitude means The Change

The Subsequent means The After

What did you think? I hope you liked it!

Bye, See Ya, Peace,

flyerac1029


	8. Counting Stars

_Dear Readers,_

_I apologize in advance. This is not a chapter to the story for which you have asked Fanfiction to alert you about. This is a special introduction to my first novel, __Counting Stars_, _which will be on sale June 1, 2011 on . You will find the web links up on my fanfiction profile by that day. For all of you who have been reading my work, this is a thank you—the summary of the book, plus the first chapter. I hope you enjoy it! You will have the choice of buying either the paperback, hardcover, or Ebook version._

_Sincerely,_

_Rose_

* * *

"In the end, it's all the same, just like the stars in the sky."

Annabel Hartman holds horrible secrets in her heart; she is the sole caretaker of her brother Ryan, her mother's killer is still haunting her, and she has a predetermined destiny she can't escape.

Annabel believes she is meant to be alone.

However, after moving to a new town, she becomes friends with the Alderics, four brothers with a curse as terrible as her own.

They reveal to her that each of them have the power of an element; earth, water, fire, and wind.

Annabel is instantly welcomed into their world and she begins to let them into hers. But as she gets closer to the Alderics, she begins to believe that meeting them was a part of the destiny she never wanted.

* * *

_Chapter 1_

"_**If you aren't strong, you'll die."**_

_I am cursed…_

_…I am destined to be alone._

_What else could explain the life I have been given?_

_I am a monster after all; I don't deserve anything more than what I have._

Before me was the familiar, red punching bag; I took a deep breath and shut my eyes. I focused on every muscle in my body. I began to slowly flex each one from my arms to my ankles. I let my thoughts dull down to a soft murmur as I focused only on this one hit that I was going to make. I inhaled when…

"Annabel! We're going to be late!" With a frustrated grunt, I went in for one solid kick to the bag. My leg connected with a loud smack into the center of the sack. I heard the black, plastic bottom scrap across the floor and, soon afterward, the usual thud as it smacked against the wall. My fists tightened as I stared at the inanimate enemy.

"I don't want to be here," I told no one but myself. With a soft shrug and a quick shake of my head to get my bangs out of my eyes, I turned around and placed my black converse sneakers on. As I tied my shoes, my thoughts turned back on into a constant roar like they had been ever since we moved here, into this dumb, awful house.

Just two weeks ago, my brother and I had moved here to some small suburban town that people never heard about. The day my mother told me we were moving was on my sixteenth birthday two and a half months ago. Not long after that, my mother died, and my father became an alcoholic. My brother and I still moved here to this house, but we were pretty much orphans as Dad entered rehab to deal with the drinking, and mom was buried in the cemetery back home. At the moment, we were living off the checks our father sent us and someday soon, the money I would earn through my job at a local restaurant in town. Right now though, being here in a new world was not exciting, especially considering the circumstances that my brother and I were forced into. The only choice I had now was to make sure I could protect him, and make everything better for him. I wasn't too concerned with myself.

"Annabel!" I heard again. I snapped back into reality.

"I'm coming," I called back, a bit of anger in my tone, which I instantly regretted. I grabbed my backpack, an army green messenger bag, and ran up the stairs with an easy sprint. My bag hit against my leg the entire way up as my hand reached for the doorknob. When I opened the door to the main floor, I saw my younger brother standing there, looking right at me impatiently.

"Pop's will be mad if you put another dent in the wall." Ryan said with a grin that was only a mere lift at the corner of his lips. He fiddled with his black framed glasses. "And he did say we weren't supposed to be late for school on our first day." I sighed and ran a hand through my brown hair. _Yeah, he said that before everything happened…I wondered what he would say now…_

"I know," I huffed. Why did Ryan seem more responsible than me? "Let's go, we do have to walk after all." I placed an arm around my brother's shoulders. He was only a few inches shorter than me, and in time, I would assume he would outgrow me. With that sad thought, I led us out the door, shut it behind us, and headed down the steps.

Here, where we lived now, was nowhere near home. Home was better than this ever could be. The green grass, the white-picket fences, the clean sidewalks, and small trees weren't as free, open, or loving as the ones back where we used to be, my family and I. Here it was copies of the same house all lined up, paved roads instead of dirt, and prep schools that made us wear uniforms. "Annabel," my brother was only eleven years old and still, he was more of an adult than I was. "Everything will be okay. Mom would've liked it here, so why can't you like it too?"

I cringed at the acknowledgment. "I can't…because," my eyes drifted down to our feet taking each step slowly, one at a time, "Because, mom would've made this place okay. She's not here to do that." _At least if she was still here, I could still have her, even if she didn't love me…At least, I'd feel like I had a purpose…_ I shook off my thoughts, knowing that it didn't matter if whether or not mom was here. I would still have my _purpose_.

"She did it for us, though," Ryan continued, "She did it because—," I clamped my hand over his mouth. We stopped walking as I kneeled down in front of him. I glared at him, with a cold stare that I wish I didn't have to use on him. My hand still pressed firmly against his lips.

"We _never_ speak of it," I whispered harshly. "_Never_, do you understand me?" Ryan nodded his head. His brown eyes were filling up with tears already. I dropped my hand from his mouth, which was trembling now. A gust of wind brushed his brown hair in front of his eyes as I looked away from him and at the bottom of a white fence mixing in with the green grass, "I'm sorry. But you ought to know better."_ My secret is a secret for a reason._

"I know, but," Ryan was hesitant, careful, "We never talk of it, even when we should." I patted his shoulder, in a way, telling him that we would discuss it some other time in private. His shoulders sagged, and his eyes went down to the sidewalk to watch our moving feet. I lifted my eyes up to the perfect blue sky with the clouds lazily rolling along. I felt like I had entered a nightmare, and I was the monster in the center spotlight.

"Let's just," I sighed and once again ran my hand through my long waves of hair. "Let's just get through today, okay? And tell you what, I'll show you some new fighting moves for you to work on." A smile, a small one at that, appeared on my brother's face as he fixed his glasses.,"Now come on," I said, once again placing a protective arm over my brother's shoulders, "As your sister, I have to make sure you make it to your middle school orientation."

As it was, we were just walking on the way to Hawthorne, a private school not far from home, when we ran into them.

"You've got some nerve, you know that!" Both Ryan and I lifted our heads towards the sound. At the corner of the sidewalk where we would have to cross, a group of teens suddenly appeared. The one in the front looked a bit annoyed with his hands shoved in his pockets, and his eyes clamped shut. He was biting his bottom lip while mumbling to himself. He was dressed in the Hawthorne uniform like Ryan.

Just behind him, the other three walked, and by the looks of it, they were all related. They had the same chins, noses, and even black feathery hair. The tallest of them had his hand on the shoulder of the smallest. Assuming he was the oldest, I quickly noted his dark green shirt with a brown tie and tan dress pants with brown leather shoes. His hair went down to the small of his back and was flowing about in the wind. He was slightly glaring at the one in the front, but not in a mean way, just a frustrated way as if he was used to dealing with this.

"Honestly, you need to relax. I hate you too, but it's not like we need _everyone_ to know," the voice was cold and smooth. It came from the second tallest boy, who was wearing the usual boy's uniform for Hawthorne too; a black vest with the crest, a white shirt and black tie, and black pants with black leather shoes. The youngest whose eyes were casted down on the ground also had the same clothing as his two brothers.

"Well!" The boy who was in front turned around to face them. His eyes were open now, and I was suddenly taken aback. Unlike the other three, whose eyes were all a deep forest green, his were a piercing blue that seemed too scary to be real. "I could care less. And _what_ are you staring at?" Suddenly, his eyes were on my brother and me. Instinctively, I pushed Ryan behind me while I glared at him.

"Nothing special," I retorted with a snide. I felt myself glare again as the three other boys snickered at my response. The one who had yelled at me stood up straighter and turned to face me with a shocked expression on his face. "Let's go Ryan, I have to take you to orientation." I softly grabbed my brother's wrist and quickly moved past the boys. I was in no mood for social interactions with anyone.

As we crossed the street towards the tall, looming building of Hawthorne Prep, I heard the group of boys talking. Apparently, they were incapable of whispering.

"Aiden, that girl totally embarassed you!"

"SHUT UP!"

"That was interesting."

"I SAID, 'SHUT UP!'"

I shook my head and kept moving until we were out of earshot. "You weren't very nice." Shocked, I looked down at Ryan who was staring forward. "You could've been nicer. You don't always have to let your anger get the best of you." _But my anger is all I have…_

I huffed, "Well, it's hard, all right? Besides, it's not like it matters. In this school, I'll probably never see any of them again." We pushed through crowds of people as I followed the signs that pointed towards the auditorium. I felt myself get agitated as I held tight onto Ryan's wrist so as not to lose him.

Ryan sighed, "You'll never learn will you Annabel?" His eyes casted down to the ground, and his shoulders sagged. I could tell how disappointed he was in me. Then, he muttered again to me as he stood at my side, "You'll never learn what it means to have a friend, will you?"

_Nope._

By then, I found the auditorium where all the seventh graders had to go for orientation with a legal guardian. Since my father was not available, the dean approved for me to take Ryan instead. Hawthorne Prep was two parts, a middle school and a high school, which meant Ryan and I had classes in the same building. "We're sitting back here." I led Ryan to the farthest corner of the auditorium, and we sat down. I placed my feet on the seat in front of me and crossed my arms. "I already hate it here."

Ryan sighed, "So easy to hate. So hard to love." Mom used to say the same exact thing when Ryan and I were younger.

I chose to ignore his statement and observed the room. There were two exits behind us on either side of the wide room. The seats were centered, and there were about twenty rows total. There was a stage set up, with a podium and microphone, and near it was a line of seats filled up with teachers. I shut my eyes and rested my head back, too frustrated to want to deal with any of this.

"Hello there," I jumped and lifted my head to see two of the boys that we had run into before. Up close now, I realized that the tall one had to be in his late-twenties or even early-thirties. He had a wide grin on his face as he pushed his long hair off his shoulder. "I'd thought this area would be empty. I'm not a fan of crowds, and I plan on sleeping. I've been to these already with my other brothers so…it gets quite repetitive by the second time." The smallest boy sat down next to Ryan and from behind the layers of long black hair, stared curiously.

"Who are you?" I demanded seeing as how, right now, these strangers were sitting next to my brother. My blood was boiling as I wondered how I could protect him in case of an attack. The older of the two smirked at me as if we were long lost friends and he was the only one who remembered.

"Annabel," Ryan whispered calmly, "You don't have to be so paranoid." He patted my hand with his own, just like mom used to do whenever I got angry in public. I hated that he was acting more like a parent now, instead of me, seeing as how I was the one in charge of taking care of him. "Really, you don't need to panic over everything," Ryan added.

_Oh, but I do. I really do._

"Annabel? What a lovely name," the oldest said. I frowned and glared at him. "My name is Demetrius Alderic." He held out a hand, but I refused to shake it. He pulled his hand back and stared at me, "You're a very interesting person aren't you," he inquired.

"I'm still too young for you," I retorted. Demetrius laughed and rested his hand on his chin. He kept watching me. "I'm not interested," I replied, turning my head away from them.

"I never meant anything like that," Demetrius defended. I still kept my eyes on the stage in front of me though. "This is my youngest brother, Kari. The other two you saw with me, well the one who _didn't_ yell at you was Namir, and the one who did was Aiden. They're both juniors. Namir's eighteen, and Aiden's seventeen. What about you, Annabel?" I felt my fists tighten when he said my name so lightly…so casually.

"Annabel's a junior too! She turned sixteen last June." Ryan said excitedly. I turned my head to stare at my brother. I was about to tell him to stop talking, but I couldn't. He sounded happy, and I'd never stop that. "I'm only a seventh grader, and I'm still eleven. My name's Ryan Hartman. It's nice to meet you." He gave a genuine smile and my heart broke, because he never smiled that way anymore. At least, he never smiled like that since mom died. He gave the kind where his lips pulled back to show his white teeth, and his eyes squinted. I missed seeing that smile.

"I'm eleven too. Are you new to the school?" For the first time, I heard the youngest, Kari, whisper. His voice was so light that I had to strain to hear it. He lifted his eyes to the both of us. He was fiddling with his small hands, and for being a seventh grader in high school, he seemed much younger.

"Yeah, we just moved two weeks ago." Ryan answered. Suddenly the two younger boys broke into a conversation, and I leaned back in my chair to ignore them. I felt myself drifting into a depressing sleep, but I made sure to remain alert enough to break for the exit if it was required…

… "_Your mother died, and it's all your fault. You know why she died. You know why…" Opening my eyes I stared into darkness. The voice was still echoing in my sleep. I shivered at the familiar sound. "Her blood is on your hands."_

"_I never asked her to do it," I whispered. I was scared and weak, two things that I was never allowed to feel growing up. But with this voice, the second I heard it, I broke the tough charade I put on for everyone else._

"_Oh, but she had to."It hissed. I looked around for the enemy that never let me be. For two months, in my dreams, I could never escape. I waited to see it, but everything was so dark that I couldn't even see my own hands._

"_No," I shook my head. The darkness was closing in, as impossible as that sounded. I felt like I couldn't breathe, but I felt the need to try and explain myself. "She had a choice…she made the wrong choice. I never wanted that for her." Tears were falling down my eyes lightly as I collapsed onto the ground. I kneeled down. I wished to hide my face, I was so ashamed of my tears, but the air was too heavy. I couldn't lift my arms up in order to cover my weakness. "She made the wrong choice."_

"_You should've known better…"_

"_I didn't know! How was I supposed to know? I was born this way."_

"_You killed her," the voice hissed._

"_No, I didn't," I whispered. "She just made the wrong choice. SHE DID IT TO HERSELF!" I sobbed uncontrollably. I wouldn't willingly cry like this. I had always been able to hold it back except in my sleep. _

"_No, it was you. Admit it." I shook my head as the voice grew louder. "Come on Annabel, you know better. She was a good mother, wasn't she?" I didn't respond. "Why is she dead? She had no curse on her like you. She's dead because she sacrificed her life for you, so why won't you admit it."_

"_She made the wrong choice," I insisted between short breathes of air. The world fell back away from me, as the darkness formed into a shape. There stood the shadow that forever haunted me since the day my mother was killed. I felt my entire body go rigid. "She made the wrong choice," I muttered. When I finished my sentence, the shadow started towards me slowly. I kept repeating those words, hoping the shadow would believe me, but it didn't work. Just as its hand wrapped around my neck, I could only manage one more word. "No!"I flung myself forward and opened my eyes…_


	9. The Dark Blue

_Hi everyone! _

_I know you're expecting another update to these wonderful stories, but I am afraid that is not the case. That does not mean, however, that you won't get some enjoyable work of mine to read. I would like to let you know that my novel, __The Dark Blue__, the sequel to __Counting Stars__ is being released on September 10, 2011. Here, I am including the synopsis as well as Chapter 1. I hope you enjoy it._

_Rose Schroth_

* * *

"**Destiny will run its true course."**

Life refuses to be normal in the case of Annabel Hartman. As summer begins, she sets out to break the Alderic's curse. But things aren't as easy as she had hoped.

Henare, the head of the family, makes his appearance, as does the final element—metal.

Demetrius' intentions prove to be questionable at best.

And the worst of them all?

Annabel's friendship with Aiden is tearing at the seams.

In the sequel to Counting Stars, all that remains in the dark will be revealed, and the destiny of Annabel Hartman will finally be fulfilled.

* * *

_Chapter 1_

"Aiden."

At the sound of his name, Aiden Alderic turned his bright eyes on his only friend, Anna Hartman. Her voice was sweet and quiet, just barely a whisper as the two of them sat there together on the roof of the Alderic home. Aiden watched her as her eyes connected with his. With a raise of her chin and a shrug of her shoulders, she finally finished what she had started. "Can we be friends?"

"Forever," he replied without thought. Suddenly, his eyes went wide as the memory came rushing back. Every single question in his mind was suddenly answered. Anna caught the way his skin went pale and the way he suddenly looked at her differently. But he couldn't tell her what was going on.

Annabel was no longer the person he had met seven months ago on the first day of school. She wasn't just the girl who was his best friend that knew his deepest secret and never left him. She wasn't just the girl he was secretly in love with. That slight exchange of conversation had changed everything that he knew and switched it around. Suddenly, she was more than Aiden ever realized she could be.

"Aiden?" She asked, and he sensed that she was nervous. Instead of answering her, he shut his eyes for just a moment as he lay down. His hands were beneath his head as he opened up his eyes once more so that he could see the sky. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw her frown. "Aiden, what's going on? Just tell me, all right?" Aiden quickly turned his attention on her. He laughed and smiled at her.

"It's nothing, Anna," he assured her. She released the breath she had been holding in. "For now," Aiden whispered, "Just count some stars with me." Instantly, she rested down next to him. Her arm slightly touching his as they both stared up. Aiden began to count each star, but it didn't stop the frantic thoughts inside of his head.

_We lay there counting stars, but I barely say the dark night sky above me. My heart was beating with excitement and realization. I was once asked if I remembered, and now I did. I was once told that it was all my fault that Annabel's life was the way it was, and now I knew it truly was. I was the one who ruined her entire future. It was all my fault because of something that had happened long ago. How I never made this connection until now was a mystery to me. If Anna knew, she would never forgive me. She would hate me, and I would lose her. But, I didn't deserve her friendship. Knowing that I was the reason behind her pains, I wondered how she didn't even remember. We had met each other once before, six years ago, and that was the beginning to Anna's years of heartache…_

"Demetrius, why are you taking us to a park in another town?" Twelve-year-old Namir asked as the four Alderic brothers stepped outside of their car. Namir's black hair moved about in a soft, cold wind. To make it stop, he tapped his six-year-old brother, Kari. The young child stared at Namir as the wind died down. A look was shared between them as Kari read his brother's mind.

Demetrius, the oldest brother and only guardian of the younger three, was just twenty-four as he kneeled down in front of Namir. With a laid back smile that hid all of his true intentions, Demetrius placed a hand on Namir's shoulder, "To get away from everything for a bit. You guys deserve to have some fun." By everything they needed to get away from, the three boys that stood there knew their brother meant the terrible curse the four of them shared. "Namir," Demetrius continued, "Watch Kari all right? He's still young, and we can't have him slip up in public." Namir nodded his head and smiled. Then, eleven-year-old Aiden, who had been silent and angry as usual, became Demetrius' center of attention. "Stay out of trouble, all right?"

Aiden glared at his brother. His hands formed into his fists, he stomped his foot, and yelled in a low whisper, "Shut up! Water boy could mess up too! It's not fair that you act like he's better than me. He's not perfect!" Aiden felt his skin heat up. In frustration, he took a deep breath to cool the fire in his blood. "Why must you always act like it's me?" His voice was a dull, weak whisper. "It's not me all the time," he muttered.

"But it is," Namir muttered under his breath, "It's always because of you. Remember when Emi found out? Whose fault was that? Oh right, it was yours." Aiden went to attack his brother, only to have Demetrius stop him by stepping in between. Namir glared at Aiden past their brother's open arm. "Look here dragon breath, just stay away from people. Last thing we need is for you to set a bunch of innocent people on fire. Come on Kari, let's go play." Namir took the youngest Alderic out to the playground.

Demetrius ruffled Aiden's hair, but he pulled away. "Just go play." Demetrius smiled wide. Aiden kept his gaze on the children playing on the monkey bars and slides. They were so happy. He hated that. "Try to make a friend for once," Demetrius commented. Aiden growled in disgust. His brother sighed at him while standing up. "I'll be over there, all right?" Demetrius walked away and sat down on a bench next to an older woman.

Walking to the swings, Aiden was suddenly pushed to the ground. His hands caught him just in time to stop his face from hitting the sidewalk too hard. He grumbled in hate as he heard the giggling child run off without a care in the world. Aiden would've been upset that no one noticed him if it wasn't for the fact that he was used to it. He picked himself up only to be astounded by the sight before him.

Just by the empty swing set, a young girl, his age, stood there. The crazy world of childhood seemed blockaded away from her. She was just standing there staring up at the blue sky. Her brown hair was blowing in the natural wind. Her cheeks were red, and her mouth was set in a determined line. In an instant, she turned her back on him as she kept her eyes up.

Without much thought, Aiden walked over to her. His feet stepped onto the mulch, and she turned around at the sound. His thin pre-teen arms wrapped around her shoulders into a gentle, timid hug. At the movement of her arms around his waist, he released the nervous breath he had been holding in. She had accepted him. Suddenly, his heart felt like it was about to burst from happiness. Then, in a soft whisper, he heard her gentle voice ask him, "Can we be friends?"

"Forever," Aiden replied without a thought.

_How could I have forgotten Anna? Why is it the moment I saw her that first day of school, I didn't recognize my one and only friend from my childhood? She had changed, there was no other explanation. As a kid, Anna smiled happily. She was so open. It was as if she had no secrets to hide. Just being around her made me a better person. In the short time that I knew her back then, I smiled and felt wanted. Before her, my eleven-year-old self never knew what it meant for someone to actually see me. The Anna that came into my life later on, however, was angry and closed off. She was more like me. There was no way I could've connected the girl of my past to the Anna of my present._

"Aiden?" At the sound of her voice again, Aiden was pulled from his thoughts. Anna was sitting up now with her arms resting on her knees. "It's getting late," she commented. He could see his old friend in her now. She had the same dark blue eyes that hid layers of underlying thoughts and emotions that Aiden never understood. Suddenly, Anna yawned and stretched her arms over her head. The sleeves of her red shirt didn't cover up the pale lines that the stars lit up. Aiden frowned at the sight of her scars, remembering that Ritayu, a member of his own family, had done that to her-all to keep her away from him and his brothers. Anna sighed when she saw that Aiden was upset. "I'm all right Aiden," she reassured him.

Aiden sat up, and stared her right in the eyes. He didn't quite believe her. Just a week ago, she had almost died. Ritayu had tried to kill her. Aiden was so close to losing her. But, he held back all his worries and simply asked, "Are you sure?" Anna nodded her head, but it wasn't a good enough answer for him still.

"You don't need to take care of me," she defended. Aiden sighed. He knew she would be like that. A part of him wanted to tell her that he had to take care of her. He was compelled to make sure that she was never hurt by him or anyone else. Aiden wanted to protect her because he loved her more than he should. But, he also knew the only reason Anna needed protection was because of him.

Anna's head suddenly rested on his shoulder, which caught him by surprise. Not too long ago, the gesture would've sent his heart racing, and Aiden would have had no clue as to what it meant. He knew now. He knew why she was his world, why there was no life without her, and why he needed her. Aiden pretended as if he didn't feel a thing though as he whispered to her, "All right, I think it's time to go. I don't want you to fall asleep and then roll off the roof."

Anna lifted her head and looked at him. Her nose crinkled at the bridge as she shut her eyes and smiled. Her small laugh echoed out into the silent night. Aiden had no choice but to smile as well. He couldn't help himself around her. "I guess you're right," Anna replied.

_Slowly, she was letting down her walls. Anna, whether she knew it or not, was becoming the girl I had met six years ago at a park in a town I never visited before. Knowing it was her all along that had always accepted me, I thought that it was destiny. It just so happened that on the day I was there, she would be there too. The girl who I would fall in love with, it was her…but, ultimately, it was me that ruined her life. If she had never met me that day, her mother would still be alive. She wouldn't have those scars. But seeing her smile and laugh again made it worth being a part of her life, and showed how selfish I truly was. Anna trusted me, she told me her darkest secret that she was meant to save the world, and yet, I was hiding more secrets from her than I should be allowed. She trusted me again, like she had those many years ago on the one day in my childhood where I had a real friend. But, Anna didn't know that, she didn't remember…_

Young Aiden and Anna sat side by side on the swing set. Around them was the excitement of the children. They were screaming with happiness as they ran about, but the two new friends were silent. Aiden stared at her as Anna slowly rocked back and forth with her eyes facing forward. He didn't know her name, and she didn't know his, but he didn't feel the need to ask. They were meant to be friends, he could tell.

Suddenly Anna smirked, "That's my brother." She lifted her delicate finger out to the group of children. Aiden recognized the kid who had pushed him to the ground. He was scrawny and small, most likely around Kari's age. Aiden nodded his head to show her that he saw who she was pointing too. "Do you have any brothers?" She asked.

"Yeah," Aiden admitted. No one had ever asked him questions before. No one had ever taken the interest to. He felt his palms go sweaty on the chains of the swing. "Demetrius is the one over there who is sleeping. He's our guardian. He thinks I always get into trouble." Aiden turned his pointer finger from his oldest brother to his sworn enemy, Namir, and his younger brother, Kari. "Those are my brothers too. Namir, he's a jerk. Don't talk to him. Kari's the youngest. They don't like me." Aiden sighed as Anna's eyes turned to him. He averted his attention away from her. "No one likes me," he muttered. He dug the toe of his sneaker into the mulch. His knuckles were sore from his tight grip on the swing.

Suddenly, a cool hand reached over and managed to take his right hand away from the swing. Fingers, soft and gentle, intertwined with his in one fluid motion. Aiden's heart sped up in shock as he lifted his eyes up to Anna. Their hands hung in the air between them. Her hold was strong as if she was telling him that she would never let go. "It must be hard," she reasoned, "To feel like that." Aiden turned his eyes away from her. He figured she just pitied him. "But it's not true, you shouldn't feel like that, because I like you." His eyes darted over to her to see if she was serious. She had a gentle smile on her face as she squeezed his hand. "I mean it," she whispered, "I really like you."

"But," Aiden retorted, "We just met. You don't know me." Anna titled her head. Her hair swept over her shoulder. "You don't even know my name, and I don't know yours. What if I'm a monster? What if I'm cursed? You wouldn't like me then." She kept smiling though, which made Aiden nervous. She wasn't running away like the rest of the world. She was holding on to his hand still. "You don't know me," he repeated.

"But I do," Anna whispered. "I knew who you were the second you hugged me." Her gentle smile made Aiden begin to smile as well. "You're my best friend, I can tell. If you're cursed or whatever, that's okay. I'd never hate you." Aiden's grin grew wide and at that instant, there was a flash.

Both Aiden and Annabel jumped and looked behind them to see a woman standing there with a camera. Aiden recognized her as the one Demetrius had sat down next to. The woman smiled as he heard Anna groan in embarrassment, "Mom!" Aiden's mouth dropped open as he stared at the woman. She truly was his friend's mother. They both had long, chestnut brown hair and wide, memorizing grins.

The older woman approached them, "I'm sorry honey, but I had to." She looked down at Aiden, and he suddenly felt very aware that he was holding Anna's hand still. "Hello," she laughed as Aiden and Anna pulled their hands apart. Aiden blinked as a camera waved in front of his face. "Would you mind taking a picture of us, please?" Aiden nodded his head and took the black, small object.

Anna's mother took her daughter and stood in front of Aiden. "Uh…smile," Aiden said, hoping that was normal. He lifted the machine to one eye. "1…2…3…," there was a click and a second of dark blue nothingness until the sound of the camera running greeted him. He kept staring through the peephole at Anna and her mother still standing there smiling. He wanted to be in the picture, he wanted to be a part of it, even just for a second. Aiden sighed when he knew that could never happen. He put the camera down.

As he handed back the camera to her mother, Anna sat back down on the swing. "Honey, we're leaving soon," Anna's mother replied. Aiden's stomach dropped at the thought. Anna had only just entered his life. He didn't want to lose her already. "I need you to go get your brother for me." Then, her eyes were to Aiden, "Thank you for taking the picture. I hope you come to the park again sometime soon." Then, Anna's mother walked away.

Anna stood up. "I'm sorry that I have to go," she whispered. She kicked a few pieces of mulch away from her. She seemed upset, "I really don't want to." Aiden stood up so that he was in front of her. Anna lifted her eyes up to him and smiled, "You'd make a good friend to have." Aiden smiled. "Don't forget me, all right? I know I won't forget you," she admitted. A deep blush formed on her cheeks as she looked away.

"I won't forget you, never ever," he promised. Anna looked at him. In one quick second, she leaned up on her toes. She closed the space between them so that their lips touched for barely a moment. Then, she ran off without Aiden knowing if that had actually happened or not. Watching her leave, Aiden smirked. His only regret was never getting her name.

_Anna didn't remember when I told her the very story that started our friendship. She had promised me that she would never forget, but she had. It hurt to know that, but it didn't change the facts. All of this time, it had been about her. She was who I wanted to believe was meant to be with me. But…I was cursed. The reason for every single pain in her life since that day was because of me. In all truths, no matter how much I loved Anna Hartman, I could never be with her because of one remaining fact._

_It was all my fault._

* * *

_If you liked what you read, then purchase the novel on Lulu (dot) com. You can find it exclusively there as well as the first book. Don't miss out on my first series, and don't worry! I have another book that's going to be released in March of 2012, the start of a four book series. You can find out more about everything at my website, a link is posted on my fanfiction site._

_Thank you to those who constantly support me._

_Rose_


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